Sunday, February 6, 2011

Here's To You, "Karen"...

Vin turns 3 years old on the 10th, so to celebrate we threw him a party at CrossFit Springfield on Saturday. Tons of family and friends came out to run around the gym, throw play-dough everywhere, and dance to some sweet jams (one of Vin's bday presents was a bad-to-the-bone drum performance by a local drummer). We were extremely happy and thankful for such a great turnout! Vin had a blast. The kids had a blast. Mom and dad had a blast. It was pure awesomeness.

Speaking of awesomeness, I've been having a ton of fun training lately. I don't know what it is exactly but, compared to this time last year, I'm having way more fun. My diet has been solid overall but you can believe me when I tell you I've partaken in my fair share of weekend cheat days. I was way more strict leading up to the games season last year with both my diet and the programming I fed to myself. All work and no play. Recently, I've been trying to enjoy the fun in competing against myself, other athletes from our box, and the clock. Though I think it's made a positive difference in my performances, it certainly hasn't kept the WODs from beating the crap out of me :)

Today I did the CrossFit.com mainpage WOD, "Karen" (150 Wallballs for time, 20lb). Last summer was the last time I did this benchmark WOD. My time then was 6:35. When I woke up today and checked the mainpage to see "Karen" was the WOD, I cringed and immediately started trying to talk myself into a different workout. Having that reaction made me realize that "Karen" was exactly the workout I needed to do. I'm glad I did cuz I PR'd by over a minute with a time of 5:25 and managed to do 103 Wallballs unbroken- which I know for a fact I've never done before...and may never do again:

CrossFit Springfield

CrossFit Springfield is so much more than a place for elite athletes to become stronger, faster, more powerful, more flexible, more athletic, more agile, and more mentally tough. It's more than a place to gain greater work capacity over broad time and modal domains, and to set PRs and take off your shirt and roll around on the ground gasping for oxygen in a pile of sweat and possibly vomit.

CrossFit Springfield also happens to be a safe place where untrained or deconditioned athletes participate to test and better their strength, their endurance, and their will to become better people and better athletes. Fortunately for them, they receive daily instruction and coaching by the most caring, straight forward, knowledgeable, and motivating strength and conditioning coaching team in SouthWest Missouri.

There are two types of pain in life. The pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Any CrossFitter will tell you "It won't be easy" This is because it shouldn't be easy. You will earn your fitness. And your life will thank you for it.